Following the claims indicating genocide in Benue State, Governor Hyacinth Alia has said that while insecurity remains a challenge, it should not be misconstrued as the targeted elimination and displacement of any group.

Governor Alia made this remark on Wednesday while dismissing the purported claims at a public function on Wednesday, November 19.

The Governor, who is a Catholic priest, however, clarified that his commitment to truth is rooted in his calling and moral duty.

READ ALSO:

He said, “I am a Reverend Father, so being in governance does not take that away from me. I am still a Reverend Father. I came in as a governor as a Reverend Father.

“I am working with the fear of God and the compassion of Christianity and humanity, and at the end of the day, I am still going back to the church as a Reverend Father and a Christian.”

Reacting to the claims directly, Alia maintained that Benue State is not experiencing any form of religious, ethnic, racial, national, or state genocide.

He added, “In my state of Benue, we do not have any religious, ethnic, racial, national, or state genocide. We don’t have that. Do we have a number of insecurities in the state? Yes, we do, but it is not a genocide.”